[7.00/10] 14 Blades a.k.a. Gam yee wai (2010)

Gam yee wai

a.k.a.

14 Blades (2010)

Director Daniel Lee isn’t a very good story-teller and that his films reveal nothing but patchy storyline. “14 Blades” lacks the engaging must-have tear duct squeezing moment and most importantly strong plot. Instead, it is about exotic locations, elaborate costumes and fancy weaponry. Donnie Yen manages to make his fights look like a spirited walk in the park as he oozes masculinity and charisma. But his acting still leaves much to be desired. Vicky Zhaodelivers a decent performance. She's super-cute and a joy to watch! The film’s most notable performance is turned in by pop star Chun Wu, here playing a Jack Sparrow-type desert pirate by the name of the Judge of the Desert. Wu’s desert bandit adds some much-needed color to the film! The fighting scenes also leave a lot to be desired. While the fights are well-choreographed, the egregious use of fast cuts and slow-motion seem to point to technical deficiencies during the shoot. While Daniel Lee's "14 Blades" isn't a modern wuxia masterpiece, but there is enough hard action, longing romance, silly humour, morality spiels, and well-choreographed fight sequences in deserts, forests, temples and tea-houses, to engage every martial arts fan across the board.